“Kiss my Converse.” If you can name who said that classic line, then you’re probably a fan of the 1985 classic movie, The Last Dragon — which starred actors Taimak Guarriello, who played ‘Bruce Leroy Green’; and Julius J. Carry III, who played the villain ‘Sho’nuff.’ The cult classic is about martial artist, ‘Bruce Leroy,’ who aspires to be legendary martial artist, Bruce Lee. While searching for ‘Master Sum Dum Goy,’ a man that can unlock his ‘glow,’ he was faced with another martial artist, ‘Sho’nuff.’ I know my true Old School heads out there remember how ‘Sho-nuff’ was on his bullying stance so hard, he terrorized the whole damn neighborhood, LOL.

Although Sho-nuff was just a character, what most of us would be surprised to know is that Taimak and Julius had a lil’ beef off screen too, according to what Taimak revealed. See why, below….

Real Life Tension:

Sadly, Julius J. Carry III passed away on August 19, 2008 from pancreatic cancer, but his love for acting and dedication to his craft forever lives on. In fact, because Julius was so committed to his role as ‘Sho-nuff,’ he reportedly created tension with  Taimak, as well as other people on the set. In a Last Dragon reunion panel at the D-Lux Entertainment Expo a few years ago, Taimak shared fond memories of the man who had everybody saying the classic line,”Who’s the baddest mofo in town?”

According to Taimak, Julius would walk around in costume on the set all the time, never coming out of character. To create authentic tension, Taimak said Julius would walk up to people and stare them down as only ‘Sho’nuff’ could. He would apparently rip stuff off the wall to maintain his mean persona. In the video below, Taimak shared how he often laughed at Carry III’s antics to which Julius responded. He also said that Julius constantly pushed his buttons to create anger between them because Julius knew that Taimak didn’t have any animosity toward him in real life, so to get the best out of him on film, Julius created tension on set, with the hopes that it would eventually translate on camera. Although Taimak had much respect for Julius, there was one time where Julius’ tactics worked and lo and behold, Taimak let the real ‘Bruce Leroy’ step up…

See Taimak talk about that moment below:

What is Taimak doing now?

Thirty-eight years later, the man lovingly known to us as Bruce Leroy Green still has that glow. In an interview with the Tom Joyner Morning Show, he discussed his new autobiography, TAIMAK: The Last Dragon. What many people may not know is that Taimak practices martial arts in real life. As a child, he would watch martial movies all the time and he fell in love with the arts.  At the age of eighteen, he won the New York State Kickboxing Championship and was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2010.

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The post “Last Dragon’s” ‘Bruce Leroy’ Actor Revealed Why He & ‘Sho-Nuff’ Had Beef In Real Life appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Bruce Leroy” from the ’80s movie, The Last Dragon? Well you probably never knew his real name, but almost all old schoolers know his face. His name is Taimak and nope there is no last name…it’s just Taimak. Well, dude is back on the scene after taking a long hiatus from the movie industry. He’s part of the cast of Twelve Angry Men and lately, he’s been making his rounds promoting the new project, as well as his upcoming autobiography, Taimak: The Last Dragon.

In a 2015 “Breakfast Club” interview (prior to Vanity’s passing), Taimak chatted it up with co-hosts, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the God, and DJ Envy. During the interview, they asked him to confirm some inside information they’d heard about himself; the beloved late Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews; and Motown creator (and executive producer of The Last Dragon), Berry Gordy. Taimak tried his best to be modest and play it cool, but he ultimately answered the questions as honestly as he could at that time.

Embed from Getty Images

Basically what he revealed was that while Berry Gordy and the rest of the production team for The Last Dragon were still casting for the roles in the film, Gordy asked Taimak in a more explicit way, ‘What entertainer would Taimak like to get with’ (get with, as in have sexual relations of some sort), because that’s who Gordy would then attempt to cast as “Bruce Leroy’s” love interest.  Taimak confessed  that he’d told Gordy he had a thing for Vanity and as you can see, Gordy pulled some strings and made it happen.

Now, here’s where the interview got even more interesting – aside from learning that Mr. Gordy is obviously a lil’ more raw than we publicly know him to be – when they tried to get more info out of Taimak, he very politely implied that he and Vanity did, in fact, end up “getting with” each other. When Charlamagne directly asked Taimak if he and Vanity took things to that next level, Taimak tried to avoid the question. However, after more pressing by Charlamagne, Taimak finally confessed, “Well…I’m gonna leave it as…we were affectionate.”

It would have been cool to see Taimak and Denise “Vanity” Matthews continue a relationship after the film, they probably would’ve made a good couple.

Taimak also touched on the topic of being in Janet Jackson’s video for “Let’s Wait A While” and how it was “awkward” because her husband at the time, Rene’ Elizondo, was all in his grill and standing about six feet from the camera throughout the entire process. Geesh, Rene’ wasn’t trying to let nobody get next to his woman!

Interestingly, The Breakfast Club has removed Taimak’s interview from their Youtube channel, but not before many media outlets were able to grab the Old School gems he’d already divulged. He later discussed some of these topics in a Vlad TV interview as well.

The post What “Last Dragon” Actor Disclosed About Vanity, Berry Gordy, And Janet May Trip You Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Bruce Leroy” from the ’80s movie, The Last Dragon? Well you probably never knew his real name, but almost all old schoolers know his face. His name is Taimak and nope there is no last name…it’s just Taimak. Well, dude is back on the scene after taking a long hiatus from the movie industry. He’s part of the cast of Twelve Angry Men and lately, he’s been making his rounds promoting the new project, as well as his upcoming autobiography, Taimak: The Last Dragon.

In a 2015 “Breakfast Club” interview (prior to Vanity’s passing), Taimak chatted it up with co-hosts, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the God, and DJ Envy. During the interview, they asked him to confirm some inside information they’d heard about himself; the beloved late Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews; and Motown creator (and executive producer of The Last Dragon), Berry Gordy. Taimak tried his best to be modest and play it cool, but he ultimately answered the questions as honestly as he could at that time.

Embed from Getty Images

Basically what he revealed was that while Berry Gordy and the rest of the production team for The Last Dragon were still casting for the roles in the film, Gordy asked Taimak in a more explicit way, ‘What entertainer would Taimak like to get with’ (get with, as in have sexual relations of some sort), because that’s who Gordy would then attempt to cast as “Bruce Leroy’s” love interest.  Taimak confessed  that he’d told Gordy he had a thing for Vanity and as you can see, Gordy pulled some strings and made it happen.

Now, here’s where the interview got even more interesting – aside from learning that Mr. Gordy is obviously a lil’ more raw than we publicly know him to be – when they tried to get more info out of Taimak, he very politely implied that he and Vanity did, in fact, end up “getting with” each other. When Charlamagne directly asked Taimak if he and Vanity took things to that next level, Taimak tried to avoid the question. However, after more pressing by Charlamagne, Taimak finally confessed, “Well…I’m gonna leave it as…we were affectionate.”

It would have been cool to see Taimak and Denise “Vanity” Matthews continue a relationship after the film, they probably would’ve made a good couple.

Taimak also touched on the topic of being in Janet Jackson’s video for “Let’s Wait A While” and how it was “awkward” because her husband at the time, Rene’ Elizondo, was all in his grill and standing about six feet from the camera throughout the entire process. Geesh, Rene’ wasn’t trying to let nobody get next to his woman!

Interestingly, The Breakfast Club has removed Taimak’s interview from their Youtube channel, but not before many media outlets were able to grab the Old School gems he’d already divulged. He later discussed some of these topics in a Vlad TV interview as well.

The post What “Last Dragon” Actor Disclosed About Vanity, Berry Gordy, And Janet May Trip You Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Bruce Leroy” from the ’80s movie, The Last Dragon? Well you probably never knew his real name, but almost all old schoolers know his face. His name is Taimak and nope there is no last name…it’s just Taimak. Well, dude is back on the scene after taking a long hiatus from the movie industry. He’s part of the cast of Twelve Angry Men and lately, he’s been making his rounds promoting the new project, as well as his upcoming autobiography, Taimak: The Last Dragon.

In a 2015 “Breakfast Club” interview (prior to Vanity’s passing), Taimak chatted it up with co-hosts, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the God, and DJ Envy. During the interview, they asked him to confirm some inside information they’d heard about himself; the beloved late Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews; and Motown creator (and executive producer of The Last Dragon), Berry Gordy. Taimak tried his best to be modest and play it cool, but he ultimately answered the questions as honestly as he could at that time.

Embed from Getty Images

Basically what he revealed was that while Berry Gordy and the rest of the production team for The Last Dragon were still casting for the roles in the film, Gordy asked Taimak in a more explicit way, ‘What entertainer would Taimak like to get with’ (get with, as in have sexual relations of some sort), because that’s who Gordy would then attempt to cast as “Bruce Leroy’s” love interest.  Taimak confessed  that he’d told Gordy he had a thing for Vanity and as you can see, Gordy pulled some strings and made it happen.

Now, here’s where the interview got even more interesting – aside from learning that Mr. Gordy is obviously a lil’ more raw than we publicly know him to be – when they tried to get more info out of Taimak, he very politely implied that he and Vanity did, in fact, end up “getting with” each other. When Charlamagne directly asked Taimak if he and Vanity took things to that next level, Taimak tried to avoid the question. However, after more pressing by Charlamagne, Taimak finally confessed, “Well…I’m gonna leave it as…we were affectionate.”

It would have been cool to see Taimak and Denise “Vanity” Matthews continue a relationship after the film, they probably would’ve made a good couple.

Taimak also touched on the topic of being in Janet Jackson’s video for “Let’s Wait A While” and how it was “awkward” because her husband at the time, Rene’ Elizondo, was all in his grill and standing about six feet from the camera throughout the entire process. Geesh, Rene’ wasn’t trying to let nobody get next to his woman!

Interestingly, The Breakfast Club has removed Taimak’s interview from their Youtube channel, but not before many media outlets were able to grab the Old School gems he’d already divulged. He later discussed some of these topics in a Vlad TV interview as well.

The post What “Last Dragon” Actor Disclosed About Vanity, Berry Gordy, And Janet May Trip You Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

His real name is Leo O’Brien and sadly, the joy Leo gave the world was later followed by some ups, hard times, and tragic results. He passed away at 41 years old in 2012 under very suspicious circumstances, which we’ll get into in a minute. But first we wanted to share what Leo’s life had become prior to his passing…

The Great Times

After The Last Dragon, Leo moved on with his life outside of the entertainment world for a while. He ran several unspecified businesses on the east coast and started a family.
His Kids
Leo had four children- a daughter; and three sons.

His Involvement In Unfinished “Last Dragon” Remake
Later in life, he was in the process of rebuilding his acting career. Although a sequel to The Last Dragon was in the works, Leo never got to officially start the project before his death. But according to his nephew, Michael, Leo wanted his son, Drew, to play the role of “Richie.”

Leo’s Hardships

Unfortunately, somewhere along Lee’s journey, he ended up serving 8 years in prison for unspecified crimes.

“He’s been having a little problem. He’s been through a lot of tough times,” said his Last Dragon co-star, Taimak. “It’s unfortunate.”

After his jail stint, things took a greater turn for the worse and he ended dying as a result.

THE WAY HE DIED HAS RAISED MANY EYEBROWS, SEE DETAILS

Violent Incident A Year Prior To His Death

In September 2011, a year prior to Leo O’Brien’s death, he was shot three times (twice in the abdomen, once in the arm) in broad daylight at 11:50 a.m., while walking down a Harlem, NY street. The shooter was quickly identified and charged as a 50 year old male. Days after the shooting, Leo revealed in an interview that he knew the shooter. He also said that he had no idea why the dude shot him but he’d “already prayed for him three times” that “In life, sometimes sh*t happens … but I’m alright and doing better.”

In another interview at that time, Leo  also stated that the shooter “just came up and shot me. No words … Then he started crying and ran.”

He was out of the hospital three days later with friend/actor, Taimak; and his nephew, Michael, by his side (as shown in the above photo).

Details About His Suspicious Death & Why Family Is Angered

In October 2012, Leo O’Brien died unexpectedly. The official autopsy report listed his cause of death as inconclusive, but his family says that is a bunch of bullcrap:

Via TheLastDragonTribute: Official…reports were inconclusive but Michael [Lee’s nephew] feels differently, he told me “a guy we know named Travis shot him 3 times in 2011. The doctors sewed him up but they didn’t sew him up properly, so he died in his sleep from the bullet wound injuries and the improper way the doctors stitched him up. After he came home from the hospital he would always say how much his insides hurt, and his hand would go numb all the time. We believe its medical malpractice… whatever they did to supposedly fix the bullet wounds they did not do right…. somehow his insides shut down and he died in his sleep. He had a private funeral in Inglewood, New Jersey where he was born. He was cremated. In the casket he had on a blue suit and his dread locks were nicely done. I Miss him a lot.”

IF his families’s suspicions are correct, then somebody has some explaining to do and a colossal sized check to cut. Rest on Leo O’Brien…gone but never forgotten.

The post After This ‘Last Dragon’ Actor Passed Away Mysteriously At 41, Family Was Outraged appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Bruce Leroy” from the 80’s movie, The Last Dragon? Well you probably never knew his real name, but almost all old schoolers know his face. His name is Taimak and nope there is no last name…it’s just Taimak. Well, dude is back on the scene after taking a long hiatus from the movie industry. He’s part of the cast of Twelve Angry Men and lately, he’s been making his rounds promoting the new project, as well as his upcoming autobiography, Taimak: The Last Dragon.

In a 2015 “Breakfast Club” interview (prior to Vanity’s passing), Taimak chatted it up with co-hosts, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the God, and DJ Envy. During the interview, they asked him to confirm some inside information they’d heard about himself and the beloved late Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews and Motown creator (and executive producer of The Last Dragon), Berry Gordy. Taimak tried his best to be modest and play it cool, but he ultimately answered the questions as honestly as he could.

Embed from Getty Images

Basically what he revealed was that while Berry Gordy and the rest of the production team for The Last Dragon were still casting for the roles in the film, Gordy asked Taimak in a more explicit way, ‘What entertainer would Taimak like to get with’ (get with, as in have sexual relations of some sort), because that’s who Gordy would then attempt to cast as “Bruce Leroy’s” love interest.  Taimak told Gordy that he had a thing for Vanity and as you can see, Gordy pulled some strings and made it happen.

https://youtu.be/3k5xj6Jxtho?t=402

Now, here’s where the interview got even more interesting- aside from learning that Mr. Gordy is obviously a lil’ more raw than we know him to be- when they tried to get more info out of Taimak, he politely implied that he and Vanity did, in fact, end up “getting with” each other. When Charlamagne directly asked Taimak if he and Vanity took things to that next level, Taimak tried to avoid the question. However, after more pressing by Charlamagne, Taimak finally confessed, “Well…I’m gonna leave it as…we were affectionate.”

It would have been cool to see Taimak and Denise “Vanity” Matthews continue a relationship after the film, they probably would’ve made a good couple. But wait ’til y’all see what Taimak said about Janet below…

https://youtu.be/8b5stqoPu8E

Taimak also touched on the topic of being in Janet Jackson’s video for “Let’s Wait A While” and how it was “awkward” because her husband at the time, Rene’ Elizondo, was all in his grill and standing about six feet from the camera throughout the entire process.

Geesh, Rene’ wasn’t trying to let nobody get next to his woman!

The post What “Last Dragon” Actor Disclosed About Vanity, Berry Gordy & Janet Will Trip You Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

You ever wondered what The Last Dragon star, Taimak Guarriello, has been doing since we last saw him 30 years ago in the movie? Well it turns out he’s been busy getting his “Bruce Leroy” on – literally.

You see, he really is a real life “Bruce Leroy” so to speak, just like his character’s younger brother, “Richie Green” (played by the late Lee O’Brien), called him in the movie. In the film, the nickname “Bruce Leroy,” described an African American dude named “Leroy,” who looked up to martial artist, Bruce Lee, and practiced karate in the hood where he grew up.

Well, Taimak who is now 50, is the same as his character in real life- a Black martial arts expert who’s been…

The post Look At What This “Last Dragon” Star Is Doing For A Living Now! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.